Smile
by KeepOnDreaming
Summary: Sequal to Popular Boy and Unpopular Boy, but those aren't required reading. How will David and Nick handle the next day at the lab. Slash -- NickxDavid


A/N-- HI!! This is a sequql to both Popular Boy and Unpopular Boy, but you don't have to read those first (even though I personally think you should). I really like this story and I hope you do too...Please remember to review, and I put in a tiny reference to the Simpsons...can you spot it??

PS -- I do not own CSI...'cause if I did...

* * *

David Hodges blearily opened his eyes. He blinked a few times before adjusting to the light in the room. He tried to sit up to look around, but there was a weight across his stomach. He looked down and saw a tan, muscular arm. He followed the arm up to a shoulder, which was connected to a neck, which was connected to the smiling face of one Nick Stokes. He swallowed thickly before speaking.

"Hello," he said, quiet and unsure, hoping this wasn't a mistake for the younger man. He didn't know what he would do if Nick didn't feel the same way he did.

"Hmm, hey baby," Nick said, pulling the blue eyed man closer to him to kiss. It was to alleviate David's, and his own, fears about what was happening between them.

Once the kiss had broken David smiled at his new lover.

"I believe you promised dinner, or breakfast I suppose, when we woke up," he said with his eyebrow quirked up and a half smile on his face.

"I did, but I'm rather comfy where I am, thank you very much," Nick said as he pulled David closer to him, snuggling into the older man.

David chuckled and dropped a kiss onto Nick's shoulder before nuzzling into his neck. "As much as I agree, we do have to get up for work."

Nick moaned at the vibrations caused by his lover's words against his sensitive neck. When David noticed he smirked before speaking again.

"Why don't we multitask and finish this in the shower?" David said, his smirk turning into a sly grin.

Nick was about to protest but David had already untangled himself and started toward the en-suite. He sashayed his hips a bit more than necessary as he walked from his lover, bringing Nick's full attention to his unclothed body. It wasn't long before the Texan had jumped out of bed and followed his lover into what was to prove to be the best shower of his life, _so far_.

* * *

After the two had gotten out of the shower and dressed (David having been optimistic for once had packed an overnight bag the day before), Nick made good on his promise and cooked the two of them breakfast. The new lovers chatted amicably while they ate, trying not to think of what was going to happen when they left the comfort and safety of the house. The fact that they both wanted this was enough right now, but would it be enough when they faced the world, and more importantly, the lab?

After they had finished eating and cleaned up there was a lull in the conversation, leading to a slightly awkward silence.

"So, you have any plans for after shift?" David asked Nick tentatively.

"Not unless you had something in mind," Nick said hopefully.

"Well, I was thinking that we could go to my place, if you want to that is."

Nick kissed David before answering, "There is nothing that I would like more."

David smiled before leaning in for another kiss.

The two broke apart after what seemed like forever. They simply sat there holding one another until David glanced at a clock.

"We have to go, if we don't leave now we'll be late for work!"

This started a frantic rush around the house while they finished getting ready. They were both about to go through the door when Nick grabbed the older man's wrist.

"You do know that I mean this right? That I really want to be with you, for as long as you'll have me?"

David just nodded quickly, dropping a quick kiss onto the younger man's lips before heading out to his own car with the biggest grin brightening his face.

* * *

The two men arrived at almost the same time, and smiled to one another as the walked into the building. They started the mandatory small talk between two coworkers, as if they had not just seen each other.

The two separated after they had dropped their bags off in the locker room, casually brushing hands as they left.

David went to his trace lab where he found entirely too much overflow from swing and day shift, and cursed his obviously incompetent counterparts as he started to process the odd sticky substance at the top of the pile.

Nick made his way to the break room in hopes of grabbing a cup of the heavenly Blue Hawaiian that his youngest coworker was so fond of. He entered to room to find Greg and Warrick already inside with their own cups of coffee, just talking before Grissom came in and the night started. Nick retrieved his own cup and sat down with the two, only to be greeted by quiet snickering.

"What's so funny?" he asked the two. "Do I have something on my face?" Nick self-consciously wiped his face while his friends continued to laugh.

"Not your face Nicky, your neck," Greg said with an almost straight face.

Nick looked at him quizzically, rubbing his neck and not understanding what the sometimes blonde was talking about.

"So, what did you get _up_ to last night?" Warrick asked with a smirk, pointing to a spot on his own neck.

Nick rubbed there and suddenly realized what the two were talking about. He slapped his hand over the bruised skin. He blushed; thinking about how it had gotten there last night after David had discovered how sensitive his neck was.

_"Mmm…Dave," he moaned as his lover trailed kisses down his tanned skin._

_The older man smirked and nipped lightly, causing the Texan to moan louder. David continued to favor the spot until Nick stopped him._

_"If you leave a mark I'll never hear the end of it."_

It seemed as if the damage had already been done, and Nick was regretting stopping David's antics.

"Hey! Earth to Nicky! Stop daydreaming and tell us!" Greg exclaimed, breaking Nick out of his thoughts.

Warrick laughed as Nick shook his head to clear it of the images of the trace technician.

"So you gonna tell us about the lucky lady?" the green eyed man asked just as Nick's blush had finally started to clear.

Before Nick could retort, though, Grissom came in trailed by Sara to hand out the assignments for the night.

"Nick, Warrick, and Greg, there a DB in the bathroom of a strip club, the owner is apparently already causing problems, so it's a delicate situation. Catherine…"

As Grissom continued to hand out assignments, the three men left for the crime scene.

"Don't think you're in the clear yet Nicky, you haven't given us any of the details," Greg winked as he made his way to the department truck that the three would have to share.

The ride to the club was filled with Greg and Warrick's teasing and Nick's flat out refusal to give the two any "details," as Greg had put it, about the mark on his neck. Once the got to the scene the teasing stopped and all the men put on a professional face in order to give the victim the justice that they deserved. It seemed as though there was something that Grissom had forgotten to mention.

"'Into the Rabbit's Hole: The Premier Male Strip Club in Vegas,' you think that would be something that Gris would mention before he sent us out," Greg said to the other two. The group was staring at the neon sign that Greg had just read off of.

Jim Brass walked up to the CSI's chuckling slightly at their mystified faces.

"And here I though Gil was going to send the ladies. Well let's go."

The three broke out of their stupefied state as the followed the detective into the establishment.

"The DB was a dancer at this fine establishment, Brad Mathews, 22 years old, and a Vegas native. According to the other workers he was dancing his way through college, and he lived by himself. Everyone says he was a nice kid, but they didn't know if he had any enemies. Have fun boys."

During his briefing the older man had led them to the bathroom where the body was. He waved goodbye and went to talk to the officers watching the scene, and what a scene it was. This could not have been a random murder; someone obviously had a grudge against this guy. There was blood and what looked like semen everywhere, and the three friends looked at each other before leaning over the body to talk to Super Dave and start their night.

* * *

Back at the lab David was already immersed in his samples and machines. After a few hours or so he had finished the entire pile of backlog and decided that he deserved a coffee break while this last sample ran.

He walked into the break room, and seeing that it seemed to be the unofficial Lab Rat coffee hour tried to turn around. Unfortunately he was caught before he could get away.

"Hodges! Come and join us," Bobby D said from his place at the table between Archie and Mandy.

David looked at his coworkers and saw that the only available seat at the table was next to Wendy. Now it wasn't that he didn't like her, he just didn't like her in the way that she thought he should, and ever since he had told her that, things had been _strained_, to say the least.

"No thanks, I'm just going to grab a cup and get back to work, something you should all be doing," Dave said as he made his coffee and tried to head out the door again. This time he was thwarted by Mandy.

"Come on, you can't have any work to do. You wouldn't have left your lab if you hadn't finished the backlog, and no one has come in with new evidence yet. That means you have time. Now sit," she said and pointed to the chair next to the other female in the group who was glaring at her lightly. Mandy just shot her a look that David hoped didn't mean what he thought it meant before he sat, completing the group.

"Yay, I'm here. You may now continue with your idiotic conversation while I try to block you out and enjoy my hard earned coffee," he said sipping the aforementioned drink.

"We were just talking about how hard it is to get a date working the graveyard shift, right guys?" Mandy asked the men, daring them to go against her. They were all just shaking their heads yes before Archie butted in.

"Hard for everyone but Dave apparently," he said with a smirk.

David slapped his hand over where his collar met his neck, cursing his shirt for slipping.

_"Wow Nick, what are you vampire in your time off?" David asked admiring the bite mark that was near the junction between his neck and shoulder._

_"I didn't hear you complaining any," Nick said as he walked behind the slightly shorter man and nuzzled his nose near the bite._

_"I'm not complaining now, I just hope my collar hides it."_

"Now, now David, don't hide it, let us see," Bobby D said, reaching over and tugging the trace tech's hand away. None of the men noticed the sour look that crossed Wendy's face or Mandy's pursed lips.

"I would really appreciate it if you would stop manhandling me," David said as he tried to get away from the two.

"What exactly is going on here?" Grissom asked as he walked into the break room.

The techs all looked him a little guiltily before Wendy said something.

"Archie and Bobby think that Hodges has a hickey, but he won't let them see, so they tackled him," the DNA tech snapped as she walked out of the room.

Mandy shrugged her shoulders and left the break room as well. She really didn't want to be around when Grissom ripped into her friends. Grissom just looked at the three men quizzically.

"I don't see how examining Hodges's love life fits in to either of your job descriptions. I suggest you get back to your labs." With that the entomologist left for his office leaving two thoroughly chastised lab techs and one slightly smug Hodges.

"You may have won this battle David, but you have not won the war," Archie said ominously as he walked out with Bobby. David just stared at the two before getting back to his lab, hoping that someone had dropped off some samples.

* * *

"I don't think I've ever seen this much semen at once, and I used to work in the DNA lab," Greg said as he swabbed the last sample in the bathroom.

The three men had been working for hours in the cramped place and were just finishing up bagging and tagging everything.

"You what sucks the most though?" Warrick asked as he stood up and rubbed his back. "Most of these probably have absolutely nothing to do with the murder."

Nick looked at the seemingly endless pile of swabs that they had collected and nodded his head in agreement. It was going to be a very long night and he just hoped that he wouldn't have to break his date to finish the case.

"Well, at least we're done in here, it's back to the nice sterile lab for us," Greg said as he wrinkled his nose at the bathroom as a whole.

"Are you saying that you _don't _like spending hours in a bathroom covered in other people's bodily fluids?" Warrick asked as if it was a strange and new idea.

"Sorry buddy, I unlike you, do not get my kicks from what is most likely a cesspool for bacteria," Greg said as he grabbed his kit and as many of the swabs as he could without dropping any.

Nick and Warrick just shook their heads as they grabbed everything and walked out to the Denali.

The three were all exhausted and decided that a quick game of 'Rock Paper Scissors' would decide the driver. After Nick had lost the other two dropped into the backseat as the Texan drove them back to the lab.

Nick was about to strike up a conversation with his friends and co-workers when he glanced into the rearview mirror and saw a sight he never thought he would see. Greg and Warrick were kissing! Now it wasn't a heavy make out session or anything like that, but lips were definitely touching lips.

"So how long has that been going on?" the driver asked startling the two passengers in the back.

Greg just looked at him with wide eyes as Warrick started to make up some strange excuse.

"What are you talking about Nicky? Greg here just fell over and you looked before I had a chance to push him off, you know I'm not like that man" Warrick rambled.

Nick wasn't buying any of it, and even if he had been the look on Greg's face would have convinced him otherwise. The normally upbeat CSI 1 looked as if Marilyn Manson had just announced his upcoming pop CD. Nick knew he had to say something before Warrick said something that he couldn't take back.

"David Hodges."

The two in the back looked at Nick surprised. Even though Greg still looked upset Warrick had stopped his tirade and that had been what the Texan was hoping for.

"What does he have to do with anything man?" Warrick asked.

"Earlier today you asked who the lucky lady was. Well, it wasn't exactly a lady."

"You and Hodges? Seriously? I would have never guessed that you were, and I mean let alone with, wow," Greg said looking a little shocked. "So I guess you don't mind me and Warrick, you know."

"No, I don't care that you're together, I do however mind the two of you fooling around in the backseat of the car I happen to be driving. That is just not right guys."

"Aww, come on Nicky that's no fun!" Greg said as he launched himself at Warrick, hugging the older man tightly.

Warrick, who looked a little shell shocked, glanced down at the younger man practically in his lap. He looked up at Nick again and when he saw the driver smiling into the rearview mirror he hugged Greg to him tightly.

"So, Hodges? How did something like that happen?"

Nick started recounting the story to his friends as he continued on to the lab, a huge grin on his face the whole time.

* * *

David had never regretted answering a page from a coworker before, but he supposed that there was a first time for everything.

"Would you two care to explain why you felt the need to handcuff me to a chair?" David asked as he jerked on his wrested causing the metal to clang in the locked AV room. "Where did you get these anyway?"

"I told Brass I needed a set for an experiment and he gave me an old pair, but that is not the point. The point is that you will tell us who the lucky fellow is," Bobby D said as he crossed his arms, trying to intimidate the trapped technician. If the glare that was still on David's face was any indication, however, it was clearly not working.

"David, clam down. We just wanna know who the guy is so that we can make sure he's good enough for you," as the blue eyed man's glare was turned to him, Archie continued, "and we're super curious because you were always like 'Oh I'm poor David and no one loves me!' We need to know, please?"

"Did you really think this was the best way to get me to tell you?"

"No, but we thought it would be better than making you tell us in front of Wendy like before, sorry about that," the ballistics tech said with a slight shrug.

"Yeah, whatever, we're sorry and everything, but you have to tell us!"

"I doubt you'll believe me, but I'll tell you if you let me go," David said, yanking on the handcuffs again.

Bobby sighed before he took out the keys and unlocked the handcuffs. David rubbed his wrist and scowled at his 'friends.'

"So?" Archie said waving his hands around.

"Stokes."

"Are you serious?!" Archie yelled throwing his hands up in defeat.

"Is it really that far fetched of an idea that a guy like him would go for a guy like me?" David asked petulantly as he crossed his arms.

"Nope, he's just mad that he lost the bet," Bobby said grinning widely at his friend. "He's happy for you really, but now he owes me."

David raised his eyebrow and looked at the two as they stood in front of him. "Bet?"

"Yeah, Bobby thought the two of you would get together within the next couple months, and _I_ said that it would take at least another year," Archie explained. "You don't really want to know what we bet on."

"It wouldn't happen to involve these handcuffs would it?" David asked as he glanced at the offending pieces of metal that where still attached to the chair.

"I hadn't even thought of that," Bobby said, eyeing the cuffs and then the Asian man next to him.

"No way!" Archie exclaimed. Bobby continued to smirk at him, so he turned to David. "How dare you put that idea in his head! I swear to all that is Holy and Star-Treky that if he actually does use those _things _and people can tell, you will die a slow and painful death!"

David looked at the AV tech and started laughing. Before Archie could start complaining Bobby joined David. The youngest member of the group just looked at the two sadly before pouting and sitting across from the trace tech.

"So, David, is everything really bigger from Texas?" Archie asked interrupting the two men.

David looked shocked for a minute before replying, "You know it."

The trio continued to laugh and talk in the AV room, at least until Sarah came in with a scowl and evidence.

* * *

"Hey, are you busy right now?" David asked into the phone while he watched the Mass Spectrometer do its job.

"Not really, what's up?" Nick asked slightly concerned as he crawled out of the victim's car.

"I know that we didn't really talk about telling our friends, and I use the term lightly right now, but…well…umm," David trialed off, worried about what Nick would say. The trace technician knew that the Texan wasn't exactly 'out.'

"Don't tell me they saw your hickey too," Nick said with amusement.

"Huh?" David asked confused.

"Apparently you left a mark last night, and well Greg and 'Rick saw it, and they wouldn't leave me alone until I told them where it came from. I was just gonna try and avoid their questions, but then they started kissing in the backseat while I was driving. So I called them on it and Warrick started saying that he 'wasn't like that' and Greg looked about ready to cry, so I had to do something," Nick said with a shrug that he knew David couldn't see.

"So you decided to tell them that _I_ gave you that hickey?"

"Well you did, and I just wanted Warrick to realize that I didn't care about him being with Greg. So who found out on your end?"

"Bobby and Archie. They accosted me when I went to get coffee. I didn't tell them anything then, but they decided to lock me in the AV room handcuffed to a chair until I told them," David said, clearly agitated.

"They handcuffed you?!" Nick practically shouted.

"Don't worry, it wasn't anything perverse," David said, snorting at Nick's reaction.

"Well I suppose that we're just gonna have to live with the four of them knowing, not that I mind all that much. You know I would tell the world if you asked me too, right?" Nick asked suddenly very serious.

"I do now, and I would too, but for right now I think the four of them are going to be teasing us enough for forty people, so we don't have to tell anyone," David said with a small smile on his face.

* * *

The shift was drawing to a close. David and Bobby had been kicked out of the AV lab and were now in their respective domains. Nick had gotten back to the lab and, along with Greg and Warrick, had almost solved the case. They were just waiting on Brass to bring in a suspect, and Warrick and Greg had already volunteered to conduct the interrogation so that he could go home, or to David's home if the offer was still open. Speaking of the blue eyed man.

"Hey Hodges, you almost done for the night?" Nick asked casually as he walked into the break room.

"I've just got a few more samples to run, you?" the blue eyed man said as he looked at his lover.

"Just have to log in some evidence, I should be done within the hour," Nick said, raising a single eyebrow in an imitation of the older man.

"Making plans on county time? That is so inappropriate," Archie said as he came up behind David. "Don't you still have work to do?""I wouldn't if you hadn't handcuffed me to a chair!" David shouted angrily.

"Well how else was I supposed to find out that you were fraternizing with a certain Southern CSI?" Archie said, raising both of his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

"Wow, you handcuffed Hodges?" Greg asked as he walked into the break room. "That's kind of kinky, Nicky aren't you jealous?"

Nick was about to respond when Many and Wendy came into the room. All of the men remained silent as the two girls went to the vending machines to grab snacks.

"Wow it got quite in here really quick, you guys weren't talking about us were you?" Mandy asked with a smile on her face as she bent down to grab her candy bar.

"No, we were just discussing…" Archie started but trailed off when he realized he had no excuse.

"Man Things!" Greg yelled suddenly. "We were discussing man things, you know. Like who looks really hot in a bikini and stuff like that."

"Yeah and we thought it would be rude to continue with you girls here," Archie said trying to roll with what Greg had said.

"Oh yeah, we really believe that one," Wendy said as she rolled her eyes.

"Okay, you're right, we were actually talking about how Archie handcuffed Hodges to a chair and made him do unspeakable things," Greg said with a completely straight face.

"I thought you were going to tell the truth this time," said Mandy.

"Unfortunately he is, now if you will excuse me I have to get back to work," David said as he swept out of the room.

"Why in such a rush Hodges? Got a hot date?" Archie yelled out the door at the retreating man's back.

David just flipped him off as he walked into his lab.

"Of course he doesn't, not yet at least," Mandy said grinning.

"What do you mean by that?" Nick asked cautiously, afraid of what she was going to say.

"Oh nothing," she said in a sweet voice while looking at Wendy.

"You're not planning on asking him out?" Greg asked the current DNA technician.

"What's wrong with that? David's a nice guy and I know he's attracted to me," Wendy said a little haughtily.

Archie and Greg both glanced at Nick who looked like he was either about to start laughing or strangle the girl.

"I wasn't actually saying that as a joke you know, Hodges does have a date tonight," Archie said very carefully.

"Yeah, with me," Wendy said looking a little annoyed.

"No, not with you, with someone else, someone he's already made plans with."

"Then I suppose he'll have to cancel those plans so that he can go out with me, I know he's been dying to, and this is his chance."

"I don't know Wendy, he seemed pretty happy about his plans when I dropped off evidence tonight," Greg said trying to get the girl to abandon her plan.

"If he told you he was probably lying. David's a little pathetic like that," Wendy said taking a bite of her candy bar and glaring at Greg.

"If you think he's pathetic then why are you going to ask him out?" Nick asked, angry at the woman for insulting his new lover.

"I'm not sure, I guess I just feel like being charitable," Wendy said as she left the room.

"That bitch!" Greg cried at when he was sure the woman was out of earshot.

"I know, what's her problem?" Archie asked staring at the door.

"I'm going to go and log my evidence. Hopefully I'll finish before she gets to David," Nick said as he quickly left the room.

"I would not want to be Wendy right about now," Greg said.

Archie just nodded in agreement.

* * *

"Hello David."

David's lip twitched at the sound. He had hoped that Nick would be done by now so the two of them could leave. Unfortunately the person behind him was not his lover.

"Hello Simms, what can I do for you today?"

"Well, I know how you've been wanting to go out with me and I decided that today is your lucky day," the woman said with a smirk on her face.

"I thought I already told you I wasn't interested," David said flatly before turning back to his machines.

"I know you were lying Hodges, there is no way someone like _you_ could resist someone like _me_."

"Hey guys, oh sorry, am I interrupting something?"

The two previous occupants of the Trace lab looked up and saw a sheepish looking Nick Stokes.

"Actually you are Nick, what I was talking about in the break room," Wendy said through clenched teeth, hoping to get the Texan out of the lab.

"I thought that Greg and Archie had talked you out of it?" Nick asked looking to David for help.

"It doesn't matter anyway because as far as I'm concerned you weren't interrupting anything. You can leave now Simms, I have something to discuss with Stokes," David said with a glare directed towards the woman.

"This is your only chance David, I don't have to go out with you," Wendy said looking upset.

"That's good because I don't want to go out with you this conversation is over," David said as he turned away from the woman.

Wendy just glared at the two and stormed out of the room.

"I'm so sorry about that babe, Greg and Archie did try to talk her out of whatever that was. I would have, but some of the things she was saying had me so angry," Nick said as he leaned against the table next to David.

"It doesn't really matter what she says, but thank you for at least trying to stand up for me," David said as he faced the CSI.

"Alright, so what do you say we blow this popsicle stand?" Nick asked.

"Please tell me you did not just say that," David groaned as he followed Nick of the lab and out of the building.

Nick just laughed as he pulled the older man closer to him. David stiffened at first, but then looked over at the Texan and saw the huge smile splitting his face. David smiled back and leaned into his love, for once completely happy with his life.


End file.
